I have decided that Muji has just become my favourite store of the moment. Maybe it is because I…read moream just a little bit of a geek when it comes to home wear, but I love sifting through the shop and examining the clever storage devices and gadgets. Lately I have been getting excited about the weather stations, the solar chargers, the clever international multi-adapters, the shower radios, the city pop-up cards, the wall-mounted CD players, the wind-up walkie talkies, the fair trade cotton sheets and so much more. I will admit that I have recently been suffering from a huge obsession with anything even remotely Japanese and this has obviously played a huge part in my love affair with Muji - but it's just so clever I doubt many people could resist. Muji will definitely be one of my top shopping destinations for Christmas gifts this year.

I don't quite understand Muji. What I mean to say is, there's so much going on it's hard to…read moredecipher what it actually is. Upstairs is a novelty stationers (although they do seem to have some useful items), come home appliance store, come knickknack store. Downstairs on the other hand is a clothing store, which is quite good for basic things like white shirts (which for some reason are incredibly hard to find), but if you want to be a hipster about town, you may want to think twice. My point is that there seems to very little sense of direction in Muji, as you can tell from the somewhat blasé customers it seems to attract. It's too small to accommodate the higher-class department store shtick (that torch obviously being held by places like Fenwicks... etc). Having said this there is a good clean atmosphere here, and it can be quite fun to look around... I just don't really know what I'm looking for when I'm their.

LOVE THIS STORE! Was the best accidental turn down the wrong street I ever made - who woulda thunk…read moreit?! Seriously, so happy to have found this wonderful shop. Perfect for sheets, duvet covers, mattress pads and all. The man who has helped me on several occasions knows US sizes vs British sizes vs European sizes by heart. So conversions of Queen to King etc are a breeze. I shall return!

This place is an institution, having been there for about 45 odd years I think! I love this place,…read morethe sort of friendly personal service found with an independent store, and the linens, towels, bathrobes and teacloths etc are really good quality and great price. But the real scandal is what is happening to this store, very sadly, I hear, that the proprietor has been forced to move out soon by big developers and Council to make way for another bland café. Another case of the greedy landlords, bullying Developers and Council treating the independent retailer like this one with complete contempt, and also for its loyal and new customers who frequent and love this shop. This shop is a real institution. It's a total disgrace with what is happening to it!

Sass & Bell is the most amazingly magical place to spend an hour browsing, yes a full hour. This…read morelittle shop use to be on Neal street but has now moved to this bigger location opposite Scott's on New Row. Basically it is full of a huge selection of RJB Stone goodies. For those of you who don't know this is a company that makes adorable tat that appeals to teenage girls and ridiculous women like me who insist of super cute nonsense in their homes. These guys only sell wholesale and I have never seen a collection like this in a shop. We are talking appliqued pirate bunting and hand painted Russian Doll photo pegs, white bird cages with stuck on flowers and butterflies. If you are looking for a new baby gift they have brilliant kiddies room decoration stuff, and as for stocking fillers, well this place is ideal. Nothing is more than £20 and some start from as little as £2.95 so you can really go nuts if you wanted to. As I have mentioned before I have happy places in London, this is one of them. I hate to Yelp this but I will and I am sharing this happiness with you.

After hours of looking round London for presents for my Mum and a wedding gift for my friend. I…read morefound them all under one roof! The store has loads of great things to hang up in your home. Not being that descriptive i know but if you go in there you will be amazed at what they have. I'm definitely heading back here to shop again as not only did they have so much choice for a small shop. It was reasonably priced!

This store is middle age signed, sealed and delivered in one room. I don't even know what half the…read morestuff they sell is, but I found myself, literally minutes away from Christmas, neck deep in a credit crunch and scrabbling around trying to buy an £18 colander. They do sell lots of lovely house hold bits and bobs but until I have a house, Labrador and a child called Mimi Fifi Orchid Clooney (a girl can dream) I wont be buying anything from here. It's a personal thing, possibly connected to being a huge consumerist ass hole whilst having a huge problem with consumerism. For me, buying a £300 pair of shoes is wrong but necessary, where as buying two plain white enamel breakfast bowls for £16 seems ridiculous. I am aware that this statement is ridiculous in itself, in fact, I just don't want to talk about it anymore. I will say though, that this shop is lovely, but I prefer Ikea.

I've been meaning to visit Labour and Wait ever since I read an article sometime ago in The…read moreGuardian profiling couples who had started up new and innovative businesses in the East End, and the L&W concept really struck a cord. You can be assured the new shop in Redchurch Street sells the same functional products for the kitchen, home and garden as the existing shop on Cheshire St, however I believe L&W are moving from Cheshire St to Redchurch St in the not-too-distant future. For too long, consumers have been lulled into a false sense of security with large, "convenient" hardware stores such as Homebase and B&Q etc. who unfortunately have, over the years got away with cheap replicas of good quality homeware goods. L&W moves away from this methodolgy and focuses fully on sustainable goods made in enamel, stainless steel and wood, rather than plastic and throw-away alternatives. The shop is minimalist in style, but all the products are displayed in a creative and alternative way, which I'd liken a little to the layout of Muji stores. As most shoppers today, I am mindful of what I buy having an effect on our environment and planet, but love L&W's ethos. I especially love the enamel kitchen sets, glass jugs, butter dishes and stainless steel buckets and watering cans. True classics! Now, don't get me wrong, you can't get anywhere near the vast selection (though often poor and low quality) of hardware and homeware products from L&W that you get in chain hardware stores, but what you do get (as the blackboard outside the shop and web home page state!) is "high quality, traditional goods for the home", with the added bonus of browsing a low-tech shop and experiencing a low stress retail experience. Now that has to be worth a trip to Shoreditch any day of the week!

I was excited to see this store in the airport! I had planned to pick up a few souvenirs before…read moreflying back to the US. There are two sections for this store so don't miss them both! (I almost did!) One if mostly clothing and accessories. The other contains bags, candy, and many other treats. I purchased a cosmetic bag set and a small fabric tote bag. (I have received so many compliments on the tote bag since returning home!) They were reasonably priced and perfect for what I wanted. The cashier was extremely polite, friendly and helpful. The store was a little crowded but pleasantly displayed and decorated.

Maheen made this shopping experience so lovely, she is warm, kind, and goes above and beyond…read more Fantastic customer service.

Christmas shopping has officially begun! I walked into this sweet store while browsing through the…read moremarket and instantly wanted to purchase everything. It was a small space and patrons, which made navigating a bit difficult but I was still able to nag a couple great seasonal gifts for fair rates. I saw other larger stores but this is a nice stop if you're already in the market.

This place benefits from being in the slightly quirky lower level of shops at Covent Garden Market…read moreHall. For ages when it first appeared (3-4 years ago) it had no name posted and that made it even more interesting to me! Sass & Belle make kitschy, kawaii- and cottage-style home decor, mainly. While you can find their products in gift-type shops all over, this place has the benefit of being direct from the source and therefore a bit cheaper. There are often bins full of goodies just waiting to be rifled through to find a little treasure. The store is cute and fits the location well.

I absolutely love 'In...'. If you're not careful you may miss it but if you work your way through…read moreall the stalls in Spitalfields you'll fihnd this gorgeous home furnishings shop. They have beautiful furniture (dinning room tabels, chairs, cabinets and shelving) all of which have great individual style. My favourite items in here are the trinkets and decor. They have beautiful bird cages for decor that you can put candles in as well as beautiful lighting and ornaments. It's a brilliant place if you're looking for gifts as they have stuff for men, women and children. The prices are reasonable and the staff are great.

I love this unique shop. They sell mainly quirky home decor items, as well as a small selection of…read morebooks (pop culture, fashion etc), jewellery, cards and gifts. It's a great place to head for an unusual gift or for someone hard to buy for. A lot of the stuff is a bit pricey but you can tell it's good quality. I'll definitely be popping in here when I move house to get some of the kitsch lighting and kitchenware they stock.

What!? Zara has a home!? How did I not know this?…read more Well, now I do. And so do you. Zara Home! After a lovely Sunday roast at nearby Holly Bush, we were slip sliding our way down the slope and ran smack dab into this spot, with red tape and "SALE!" screaming at me. Well of course, let's have a look...shall we? It's got a lot of home goods (think frames, linens, towels, knick knacks, nursery items, etc) and a random assortment of pajamas, face masks and slippers. We scored two quite nice bathroom rugs for about 12 quid each (half off!) and were quite pleased. I don't think I'd go way out of my way to pop in...but if you have a chance, this chain might do you good for some of the basics in bedding, etc. *this location does NOT have furniture. *steps from Hampstead tube station.

Really cute stuff and it has pretty good prices compared to high street stores & designer brands…read more The shelves are crammed full of photo frames, candles, linens, and other random home decor items. Be sure to check the back corner on the left for markdowns and sale items. My one complaint: the store is tiny! Would love to see what else they could bring in with a little more space.